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Posts Tagged ‘Jan Brewer’

Recently, the Arizona Department of Health Services released its annual abortion report showing that 501 fewer abortions were performed in Arizona in 2014 as compared to 2013, a decrease of 3.7%! Since the new abortion reporting requirements took effect in late 2010, Arizona has seen a drop in the abortion rate by 10.4% or 1,500 fewer abortions in 2014 compared to 2011.

Why the Numbers Have Decreased

In 2008, Arizonans holding pro-life views registered to vote in record numbers. Those values voters then voted into office pro-life legislators and in 2009 pro-life Secretary of State Jan Brewer became Governor. Between 2009 and 2014, Gov. Brewer signed into law 24 life-saving measures directly leading to the reduction in the abortion rate. When concerned citizens vote their life values, those votes lead to saved lives – both of preborn children and their mothers.

Our state, along with the rest of the country, increasingly is pro-life. Everyone knows a woman who was hurt by an abortion. Most have seen an ultrasound picture of a preborn child as early as 8-10 weeks. Ultrasound pictures clearly show the preborn child is just that – a preborn baby. One can no longer deny the truth about the humanity of the preborn child or that abortion hurts women.

What the Numbers Tell Us:

Elective, Not Therapeutic. Almost 99% of the abortions in 2014 were elective, meaning they were not performed because the life or health of the woman was endangered.

Abortion Hurts Women. 137 women experienced complications resulting from an abortion in 2014, an increase of 35 from the 2013 report.

Age matters. Women in their 20’s accounted for 59% of all abortions performed, with almost 33% of the abortions being performed on women ages 20-24.

Surgical Abortion is the Preferred Method. Surgical abortions accounted for 72% and medication abortions 28% of all abortions. About 29% of the surgical abortions were done by the D&E method which requires the abortionist to tear apart the baby limb by limb.

Late Term Abortions. 132 abortions were performed on babies after 20 weeks, near the point of viability meaning the preborn might survive outside the womb. Women having abortions after 20 weeks had a higher complication rate than women having abortions before 20 weeks.

Repeat Abortions. Thirty-six percent of women report having had one or more prior abortions.

March is a Key Month. In every year since 2011, the highest number of abortions occur in the month of March.

Parental Consent. Of the 61 petitions filed for a minor to have an abortion without parental consent, 45 were granted.

How Do We Respond to the Numbers – What’s Next:

Our CAP Policy Team will continue to analyze these numbers to see what they tell us about how to best protect preborn children and their mothers from the dangerous and deadly practices of the abortion industry.

At a minimum, we know that pro-life efforts should focus as follows:

Focus first on women in their 20’s as the age group most likely to choose an abortion.

Increase efforts to reach abortion-minded women in the month of March when the highest number of abortions are performed.

Highlight the harms to women having abortions post 20 weeks.

Emphasize over and over again that women are having abortions for elective reasons, not for life or health reasons. Yet abortion not only takes the life of their preborn child but hurts women in multiple ways.

Increase support for pregnancy resource centers to meet the needs of abortion-minded women, especially those having repeat abortions.

In recognition of the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court case which legalized abortion in America, the Arizona House and Senate, along with Governor Brewer issued proclamations denouncing the unconstitutional decision.

The new law ensures that abortion providers do not receive any family planning funds that pass through the state.

Planned Parenthood and other abortion supporters have been in hysteria over this law from the beginning of session. They’ve painted a doomsday scenario in the press, claiming this bill will deny low-income families access to medical care.

But as in most cases with Planned Parenthood media campaigns, the facts are not on their side. (more…)

Governor Brewer announced that improving education as a key part of her plans for 2012 when she said in her State of the State address that we will see “excellence and accountability in our education system.”

How do we achieve this high standard? The answer is simple – school choice.

Expanding school choice is the single best strategy for improving education for all children. (more…)

The Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a lawsuit in federal court yesterday against Governor Jan Brewer for declaring on May 6, 2010, the “Arizona Day of Prayer.” Governor Brewer issued the declaration in conjunction with President Barack Obama and elected leaders across the country respecting the National Day of Prayer.

Millions of Americans and thousands of local leaders have traditionally prayed for the nation and its leaders during the annual event, which was codified by Congress in 1952.

“The First Amendment and the Arizona Constitution allow public officials to acknowledge our nation’s religious heritage,” said Cathi Herrod, President of Center for Arizona Policy (CAP). “The Freedom From Religion Foundation’s claims that Gov. Brewer’s actions are suddenly unconstitutional are a radical misinterpretation of the First Amendment.”

CAP has been actively involved in defending the National Day of Prayer. In June, they joined family policy councils across the country in filing a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the National Day of Prayer in the Freedom From Religion Foundation v Obama district court case.

“At a time of economic crisis and a historic budgetary shortfall, it is absolutely appropriate and prudent for our elected officials to call for prayer,” said Herrod.

Congress and President Harry Truman instituted the National Day of Prayer in 1952 in a joint resolution. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed an amendment specifying that the annual event would be observed on “the first Thursday in May each year.”